


Pretend

by herilaveur



Category: SKAM (France)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:00:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24551224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/herilaveur/pseuds/herilaveur
Summary: February 2021, in another universe. Lucas and Eliott met last September and now they share a student room. Eliott needs his roommate to do him a little favor: accompany him to his parents' wedding anniversary so that he is not alone in front of his ex-girlfriend Lucille...but Lucas bursts out laughing before refusing...Can he convince him that they can be the perfect couple?
Relationships: Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant
Comments: 100
Kudos: 197





	1. Help me

''Mom, I'm not coming. I'm sorry, but it's a no."

Eliott's pacing back and forth in his dorm room... It's like the third time his mother's called to ask if he's coming to his parents' anniversary party next weekend. All of Eliott's uncles, aunt and cousins are coming to spend the weekend at his parents' house, and on Saturday night it's a party with about 100 people in a room rented for the occasion. 

Normally, Eliott would have loved that. He's always loved his family, and he loves every opportunity to see his cousins. He has always loved going back to Normandy where his parents have a country house and most of their friends since they grew up there. But still, it is totally clear to him, there is no way he would ever go there. 

''You're coming, Eliott. Because if you don't, I'm gonna stop paying for your art supplies and extra tuition."

Eliott stops walking.

''But, Mom, I'm trying to perfect myself. It's for my school, not just a hobby."

''I know,'' says his mother softly, ''but it's your family. We're celebrating 40 years of marriage and we want our only son to be here. I don't think that's too much to ask. Even your cousin Victor is coming back from Berlin especially for us. I warned you, Eliott, I told you not to go out with Lucille. And, of course, you did as you pleased. But I refuse to see you run away from the situation again. You have to take responsibility for your choices. So you're either coming or you're out of art class. I'm sorry to blackmail you, my son, but it's for the good of all of us. It's been more than two years, you have to move on."

Eliott grunts on the phone.

''Holy shit, Mom, I hate you. Okay, I'll be right there."

He could hear his mother's smile on the phone. 

''Don't swear, and you love me and I love you too. Okay, all right. Are you bringing anyone?"

Eliott closes his eyes as he falls off sitting on the couch. Damn it, he didn't think of that. He's certainly not gonna come unaccompanied. He doesn't want to face Lucille as a single man. 

''I... Yes.''

The bedroom door slams shut and Eliott jumps out.

''I have to go, Mom. See you Friday."

Eliott watches Lucas walk into their apartment. He looks just as bad as he does. Lucas looks up to greet him and starts smiling when he sees Eliott. Apparently Eliott's pain is written all over his face.

"Bad day?"

Eliott nods his head as he sinks deeper into the couch.

"Definitely. My mom's making me go to a family party next weekend."

Lucas slumps down on the couch next to Lucas, obviously surprised that this news is causing Eliott's bad mood.

''Oh, that's cool. I've never been in one of those places, so that must be nice. I always thought it must be nice to have a big family. Why don't you wanna go?"

"My ex-girlfriend's gonna be there."

Lucas' grimace sums it up perfectly.

''Yeah, it's just like you think it is. Lucille is the daughter of my mom's best friend... We were together for four years. She got her BAC, not me. She went to London to study while I was flunking out senior year. We parted on very bad terms and I have no desire to see her again."

Lucas shrugs his shoulders and smiles.

''Well, don't go. But it would be a shame to penalise your parents. They must want you there."

Eliott grunts, throwing his head back. If his mother wasn't so stubborn, it wouldn't be so much easier.

''My mom stops paying for my art supplies and extra tuition if I don't go. So, yeah, they want me to come."

Lucas laughs, which makes Eliott smile.

''Oh, geez, she's not laughing, your mom. Shit, I see where you get that stubborn streak from."

''It's clear, next to her I'm not stubborn at all. She always gets what she wants. And you, bad day?"

Lucas loses his smile and sighs.

''Basile just told me his cousin's coming to Paris next Friday and he wants to set me up with him. He says we'd be the perfect couple, but I don't want a boyfriend. I just want to do well in my year and graduate, so I'll have plenty of time to find somebody afterwards. And no matter how many times I tell my friends, they're always trying to get me to meet someone. And it's just a burden."

''Well, come with me."

Lucas jumps on the couch and turns to look at Eliott.

"What?"

''I said I'm going with someone because I don't want to face Lucille alone. You're pretending to be my boyfriend for a weekend. So Lucille can leave me alone, and you don't have to see Basile's cousin. That solves your problem and mine."

Lucas sighs as he rests his head on the back of the couch.

"Your movies are going to your head, Eliott. No one will believe it. You're straight, and Lucille should know that."

''I am not straight, and Lucille knows that because I cheated on her with several guys.''

Once again Lucas is startled and turns his eyes wide open to Eliott.

"What?"

Eliott nods his head and looks at his hands.

''Yeah, that sucked. But I was young."

''No, I'm talking about you, not being straight. As much as I agree with you, cheating sucks. You're not fucking straight? Since when?"

Eliott shrugs his shoulders and smiles.

''Uh, no... not straight. Since... I don't think I've ever actually been straight. I'm pansexual."

"But why didn't you ever tell me?"

''You never asked, Lucas. And the way we met, I didn't want you to be scared or think I was being nice because I was into you."

Lucas gets up and he laughs. The kind of laughter that would make Eliott forget how cranky he was.

''It wouldn't even cross my mind, Eliott. Look at you, and look at me! No one would ever believe that we're together."

Eliott immediately recovers his bad mood and sulking on the couch. If only Lucas knew he's been repressing his fucking crush on him since they met. Normally, Eliott wouldn't have hesitated to flirt with Lucas, but the origin of their meeting totally prevented him from taking the first step. He just wanted to protect Lucas and for them to have a trusting relationship. And now that they've become friends,he doesn't want to ruin their friendship. So he's trying not to think about lucas like that,but it's really hard.

Lucas opens their mini fridge and pulls out two beers.

''You have really stupid ideas sometimes, Eliott. But just for that alone, I love sharing this room with you! You're a fucking entertainment tool, Eliott Demaury!"

Eliott takes the beer that Lucas hands him and looks at him with a raised eyebrow.

"So, you coming with me?"

Lucas bursts out laughing before taking a sip.

''Oh, no. I'm sorry, but I would never do that, Eliott. I would never pretend to be your boyfriend in front of your whole family. No way."

Eliott's pouting over beer again. Fuck that. 

The week goes by and Friday comes way too fast for him and despite his many requests, Lucas refuses to change his mind. Eliott puts his bag in the trunk of his car and shuts it with a sigh. He has no desire to go there but he can't help it. He won't give up his extra classes because of Lucille. He's just going to try to run into her as little as possible and stay glued to Valentin all the time. Lucille hates Valentin, that should work.

A hand gently strokes his back and makes him jump. 

''Sorry, love, I thought you saw me coming. I'll just get my stuff and we'll go, okay?"

Eliott looks at Lucas and blinks twice to make sure he's not dreaming. He's about to turn around to see if Lucas is talking to someone behind him, which is silly because Lucas' hand is still on his back but Lucas puts a quick kiss on his lips. 

''Holy shit, was that real then?''

Eliott turns around and only now notices Basile's presence.

''Yeah, what do you think, Baz? I wouldn't lie to you. You think I could do that. Thanks, man, that's good to hear."

Basile frowns as he looks at Lucas.

''OK. Don't play it like that, remember Chloe, eh? Pretending to go out with a girl to hide your homosexuality, doesn't that remind you of anything? So, yes, you'd be able to lie and make up a story just to avoid meeting Remi. Ok, maybe I believe you. I can't wait to see the pictures from this family weekend, then."

Lucas sighs and Eliott holds back laughing because he understands lucas didn't think of that.

''Totally,'' says Eliott, ''Lucas is finally gonna know what it's like to be in the middle of a big family. But don't worry, baby, it's gonna be okay."

Eliott grabs Lucas' hand and brings it to his lips to kiss the top. 

''Come on, baby, hurry up and get your stuff, I'm waiting for you.''

Lucas turns around and Eliott can't resist slapping him on the ass, which makes Lucas jump up and down while Basile laughs. 

"I can't believe you guys have been going out for months and Lucas hasn't told us."

Eliott shrugs his shoulders and looks at Lucas coming in already with his bag he's putting in the trunk next to Eliott's. They wave to Basile and they get in the car. Eliott waits until he's off campus before he dares to speak.

''Okay... so?'' 

Lucas sighs before he turns to him.

''Basile showed me a picture of his cousin Remi and I panicked. So I told him we'd been dating for a while and we were going away to your family this weekend. Sorry about that."

Eliott nods his head before he looks at Lucas.

"Keep your eyes on the road!"

Eliott laughs as he looks the road again.

''Don't be sorry, I'm really glad you're here because I'm so damn selfish and you're gonna save my weekend. I'm ashamed to say it, but I was really scared to face Lucille alone. Do I have a right to know why you freaked out?"

Lucas sighs and crawls into his seat, hiding his head in his hands.

''When I was 16, I wanted to make sure I was gay. I went on Grindr and I met a guy. He was barely a year older than me and he was coming to Paris for a weekend. We both agreed that we'd only meet for sex."

"Oh, my God," Eliott cut him, "You actually fucked Baz's cousin!?!"

Lucas sighs dramatically.

"I wish I had. No, that's even worse. We met, we started kissing... and I chickened out. I just took off before it got serious."

Eliott shrugs his shoulders.

"And?"

"This is embarrassing enough." Lucas grunts, "Fuck, there's hundreds of guys on this shitty app and I had to run into Baz's cousin."

Eliott shakes his head.

"What would be embarrassing is if you forced yourself just to make him happy. You were young and inexperienced, and you freaked out, it's not a big deal. This weekend, you could have shown him that you've changed."

Lucas lays his head against the window and sighs.

''Except I haven't changed, Eliott. Holy shit, I can't believe I'm telling you this, but I'm a fucking fraud. I'm still the same way I was at 16 when it comes to men."

Eliott turns his head and Lucas reminds him to watch the fucking road. 

''Wait a minute. Wait, what about the guy you met last summer before you went off to college? And I heard you bragging about fast connections a couple of times."

Lucas shrugs his shoulders and sighs.

''Bullshit. I made up the guy on my vacation, just like I lie about my so-called connections to get guys to leave me alone. The truth is, I don't want sex for sex. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I want to fall in love. But I'd rather make up a life for myself than tell my friends the truth. Why the fuck am I telling you all this? Did you put drugs in the water or something?"

Lucas looks at the water bottle on the dashboard and Eliott laughs.

''You know I wouldn't judge you, that's all. But You don't owe anything to anyone, Lucas, not even your friends."

Lucas sighs as he rests his head on the window.

''I know. I'm 19 years old. Why the fuck do I keep lying like this?"

''I'm 21 and I'm taking a fake boyfriend to my parents' anniversary party. I think we're even."


	2. Tell me

They drive around listening to music for about 20 minutes before Lucas turns off the radio and turns to Eliott.

''Okay. So, what are we saying about us? You think they're gonna ask us questions? I don't know anything about your family. In fact, I have no idea what a big family looks like. Mine was just my parents, my grandfather and me until my grandfather died when I was 10. Then it was just me and my parents... then for the last four years it's just me and my mom, but you already know that."

Eliott looks at Lucas with a sorry smile before quickly looking back at his road.

''Yeah, it's better if we have the same version because we're clearly gonna get a lot of questions. So first of all, thanks again for coming, you're gonna make this weekend a lot more bearable."

Lucas chuckles.

''Thanks for giving me a good excuse to escape from Basile, his cousin and my shame. Can I ask you a question?"

Eliott nods his head in puzzlement.

''What did you want a boyfriend for? Why didn't you just ask a girl to go with you? You know you'd have found a lot of girls willing to do that for you."

Eliott shrugs his shoulders, but he knows Lucas is right.

"Yeah, probably."

''Not probably, Eliott, it's sure. You got a dozen girls drooling all over you every time you walk out of our room. And if we didn't think you were straight, the guys would drool on you, too."

Eliott shrugs his shoulders again.

''Maybe. But actually, guy or girl, it doesn't matter, I couldn't imagine bringing anybody else with me but you."

Eliott misses the slight change in Lucas's face, but he can't tell if Lucas is surprised or panicking. Maybe both, actually.

''What I mean is, I can't just take anybody in my family. My bipolarity is definitely gonna come up in conversation and maybe even some of my manic exploits, so I need someone I can trust. And you fit that criteria perfectly. Besides, since you're a guy,I don't think Lucille's going to try to corner you to warn you. I hope not. If not, I apologize in advance for what you're about to go through."

Eliott sighs and laughs nervously before he moans.

"Shit, when I hear myself say that, I feel like I'm being super selfish and I'm taking you straight to the lion's den."

Lucas laughs and asks Eliott to tell him more about his family.

''Okay. So I already told you about my parents. My dad has two brothers, Patrice and Paul. They're... I don't know, I don't even know how old my dad is. Wait, he got married at 19 so he's gonna be 59... shit, I didn't see him that old. 60 next year? I can't believe it. I mean, they had a hard time getting me, but still, I didn't think that...

"Eliott?"

Eliott looks at Lucas rolling his eyes and realizes he's rambling.

''Okay, sorry. So if my father at 59, Patrice will be 61 this summer and Paul will be 58. Patrice is married to Marianne, and they adopted Anton from Russia. Anton just turned 11. That's for sure because his birthday was two weeks ago. Paul has been a widower for 4 years, and he's the father of the twins who are 18. That's the family that'll be sleeping at home. My uncles will probably be politically incorrectness, and I apologize in advance for anything they say."

Lucas chuckles as he tries to incorporate all that information.

''Stop apologizing for other people's hypothetical behavior... What about your mother's side?"

Eliott sighs.

''That's easy. She's an only child. But Fabienne, her best friend, is like a sister to her. That's why she didn't want me dating her daughter, because she knew if we broke up, it could ruin their friendship. And seeing how I broke Lucille's heart, I don't know how Fabienne doesn't blame my mother because of me. But, no, they're still as close as ever."

Lucas puts his hand on Eliott's forearm and it makes him slightly startled.

''You'd have to tell me, Eliott. If I'm your boyfriend, I should know what happened between you and Lucille, don't you think?"

Eliott puts his blinker on and takes the highway exit that leads to the gas station. He parks in front of the shop and gets out of the car by signaling Lucas to follow him. He orders two coffees before sitting down in front of Lucas.

''I practically grew up with Lucille because our mothers were BBFFs before we even coined the term. So, naturally, at 15, we started dating. She was my first girlfriend. She was there when I was diagnosed bipolar a year later. After a few months, she became more like my mother than my girlfriend. And I hated it. She wanted to control everything. She wanted to control me. One night at a party, I met a guy. He was funny, and I couldn't think about anything with him. He made me feel so free. I left Lucille, but when he left me after a week, I went back to her. And I did that for the next two years. Sometimes with guys, sometimes with girls, but I always came back to her. She said it was because of my manic episodes that I was going away, but I knew I wasn't. We didn't have a healthy relationship together. She planned for us to go to London together after graduation and I didn't dare tell her I didn't want that, so I just skipped the tests and"

''You?'' Lucas cut him. ''You skipped the BAC so you wouldn't tell your girlfriend you wanted to break up with her?''

Eliott nods his head and laughs.

"I was young."

"Oh fuck Eliott, that was less than three years ago!"

Eliott chuckles again as he takes a sip of his coffee.

''Yeah, well, I've grown up since then. Anyway that was the last straw, she left in a black fury. She ended up going to London by herself and we never spoke again. And I don't want to do that at all. She always managed to make me believe that I needed her in my life and frankly, even after 3 years away, I'm afraid she still does. And I feel stupid for feeling that way, but I'm afraid she might still have a hold over me."

Lucas puts his hand on Eliott's and smiles.

''Don't worry, I'll look out for you, love. No one will ever take you away from me."

He winks at him and Eliott closes his eyes. Holy shit, this weekend's gonna be torture. Lucas is making it look so easy for him and it's making it harder.

''Okay. How long have we been dating?" Lucas asks.

''Six months?''

Lucas hesitates, then asks softly.

''How did we meet? Do they know why I'm sharing your room?"

Eliott hesitates, then nods gently.

''My parents know. My mom was surprised I'm rooming again after all, especially with a first-year. So I told her. I'm sorry."

Lucas shakes hands with Eliott.

''You got me out of the clutches of a homophobe and you're sorry, are you kidding me?"

Eliott smiles as he looks back on their first meeting.

It was September, two weeks after school started. It must have been 8:00pm and Eliott was walking up the hall to his room when he ran into Lucas. He dropped the books he was holding to come help him. Lucas was bleeding from his temple and his lip, he had two bruises already present on his cheek and was holding his stomach. Eliott rushed to help him stand and Lucas asked him to take him to the campus manager's office.

Eliott should have left but he couldn't get away. He wanted to make sure Lucas would be okay so he waited for him behind the office door. He was already sure that all his marks weren't from a fight, but that it was a beating.

''I want to change rooms! He's a fucking homophobe and I'm gay. How do you want this to work?"

Eliott had opened the office door uninvited, while the manager apologized but explained to Lucas that he had no other room available and couldn't see a way out. And then if Lucas had been more discreet about his preferences, his roommate wouldn't have been afraid. But with some communication and maybe a curtain in the middle of the room, everything would be fine.

"I have a place in mine."

Lucas had looked at Eliott as if he'd never seen him before and wondered why a stranger would come and help him.

''Mr Demaury, you know you get special treatment, even though I don't like that word. It would be hard for a student to live with you, and you know why. We don't want to relive David's incident last year."

Eliott remembers the moan that came out of him. A mixture of exasperation and shame. He looked Lucas straight in the eye. And his fucking blue eyes were just beautiful.

''I'm bipolar. Sometimes I have these bad episodes where I get manic and I'm doing something stupid. Sometimes I get depressed and I can't get out of bed. My old roommate couldn't handle that. But if it's okay with you, I have a bed for you. If not, good luck with that."

Lucas didn't even hesitate for a second before he turned to the director.

"I'm moving into his room."

The director shook his head in the negative.

''I don't mean to demean Mr Demaury, but this isn't funny, this is a mental illness and''

''My mother's schizophrenic and I took care of her by myself when I was 15, so I think we'll be okay..''

''Eliott? Are you there?''

Eliott blinks and looks at Lucas waving a hand in front of his eyes.

''Sorry. I was thinking... I was thinking about us, actually."

Lucas takes a big smile.

''Us... it feels weird. But we've been roommates for seven months, we should be fine. We know each other really well. We kissed earlier in front of Baz, sorry about that by the way, and it was pretty easy, don't you think? We hold hands, give each other a few discreet touches, kiss once or twice and no-one'll know we're faking it. It'll be easier than in your stupid movies where they pretend and they end up falling in love. At least with us, it's not gonna happen."

Eliott laughs nervously as he stands up.

''Come on, we've got a long way to go. I'm sure by now you're looking forward to seeing the entire Demaury family."


	3. Surprise me

  
When Eliott pulls up in front of his parents' house, he starts to panic. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. If his mother finds out that this is all fake, she'll be terribly angry. Eliott doesn't even want to imagine it.

''Eliott, I swear it's going to be okay. Nobody will ever find out that it's not true about the two of us and we'll be fine. In two days we'll go back to Paris and we'll go back to our lives as before.''

Eliott wants to tell him that he's not sure they'll be all right after all this. After spending the weekend being so close to Lucas, it's definitely going to be really hard to go back to being just roommates. But before he can say anything, Lucas leans over, puts his hand on the back of his neck and pulls him towards him to kiss him gently.

''What''

''A woman, I guess is your mother, is looking out the window. We better be credible because I don't want to be ashamed of being discovered. Come on, let's go, let's go show them how much we love each other.''

He gives him a quick second kiss on the lips before getting out of the car. Eliott sighs and gets out. He joins Lucas, slips his hand into his and they climb the four steps to the front door. He doesn't even have to ring the bell for the door to open, revealing his smiling mother. 

''Hi mom. This is Lucas. Lucas, is my mother.''

Just when it seemed impossible, his mother's smile gets even bigger.

''The famous Lucas. Eliott's told me so much about you. I was sure there was something going on between you two. Eliott never told me so much about anyone before. Call me Delphine.''

Eliott feels his cheeks turning red. Shit, he hadn't thought of that at all. But Lucas smiles softly and seems imperturbable.

''It's nice to meet you too. Eliott's told me a lot about you and the whole family. It's a pleasure to be here.''

Eliott greets his father as he sneaks up next to his mother, but he only has eyes for Lucas.

''All Eliott's talked about for months is you. He told us how you help him when he's down and how you keep him from screwing up. Now I understand better. Nice to meet you, Lucas. I'm Pierre, Eliott's dad. Nice to finally put a face to your name."

Eliott looks at his father who takes Lucas in his arms. He knows that Lucas does not like physical contact like that and he regrets not having warned him that his whole family is rather tactile.

''I guess we're sleeping in my room?'' Eliott asks, pulling Lucas towards him. 

''Yeah, go get your stuff together and meet us in the living room. Everyone's almost there. All that's missing are Valentin and Victor. Valentin went to pick up our German from the airport, they should be here soon.''

Eliott returns very quickly to take their two bags in the car and grabs Lucas' hand to guide him into the house. They go up to the first floor and Eliott points to the second door on the right. The room hasn't changed. Eliott used to come here only for holidays and he stopped doing so at least 2 years ago, but his room is covered with drawings, vinyl records and movie posters. Kind of like the wall in their dorm room, actually. 

''So? You tell your parents about me?"

Eliott puts down the bags and lies on the bed in a dramatic wail.

"Oh, don't worry, I told my mom about you, too."

Eliott stands up and leans on one elbow so he can look at Lucas.

"And what did you say to her?"

Lucas looks him in the eye and raises his eyebrows.

''All these terrible things... and it's all true.''

Eliott laughs and Lucas does the same thing before he sits down next to Eliott. 

''Hey, it's only me, Eliott, don't worry. You and I are closer than I've ever been to my best friend, but don't tell him. I've accompanied you in the shower before, I can face your family on a weekend. They seem really nice, maybe I'll like them so much that I'll end up dating you just to see them again.''

Eliott lies back on the bed moaning. Lucas is so oblivious. 

"Boys, dinner!"

Eliott gets up from bed and Lucas opens the door. He lets Eliott out and slaps him on the buttocks with a big slap. Eliott is startled and turns around, frowning to face a laughing Lucas.

''It was for earlier. Don't slap my ass, Eliott, or I'll do the same thing to you."

Eliott walks up to Lucas until their faces almost touch and he gets a big smile.

''Maybe I'll just do it again just so you can do it to me, then.''

Lucas bursts out laughing.

''Oh you two are so cute. Honestly, I thought you did it like the movies and brought a fake boyfriend, Eliott. That would have looked just like you."

Eliott breaks away from Lucas and walks across the hall to give Valentin a hug. 

''Lucas, this is Valentin, my cousin. He's the good twin.''

Valentin comes to hold Lucas, and Eliott's mom calls them for the second time, so they walk down the stairs and talk. 

Pierre pulls Lucas towards him to introduce him to his brothers while Eliott greets his aunt who asks him to come and help her set the table in the dining room.

''Lucas, these are my two brothers, Patrice and Paul. This is Lucas, Eliott's boyfriend and roommate."

''That's handy.'' Patrice laughs as she shakes hands with Lucas. ''There's at least one advantage to being gay, you can be with your partner and no one will notice.''

''Pat!'' says Pierre again, frowning.

But Patrice shrugs his shoulders.

''Well, it's true, isn't it? No two lovers of different sexes will ever share the same room at the university. I'm just saying it gives them an advantage, there's nothing wrong with that. Don't make me sound homophobic because I remember how you and your buddies treated that boy in high school. Danny? Davy?."

"David Ernrik" exclaims Paul, "Poor guy, he's been through a lot. That's when you see that attitudes have changed."

He looks at Lucas and smiles.

''You're lucky you were born in your time after all, now everyone tolerates gays.''

Lucas watches Eliott's dad go completely white. At that very moment, Lucas is glad he doesn't have any brothers. Lucas puts his hand on Pierre's shoulder and smiles softly.

''Don't worry, we're all messing around. The important thing is to realize it and change."

He turns to Eliott's uncles and loses his smile.

''and no, the world is no more tolerant. I've been beaten up three times for being gay, and that was before I even had a boyfriend. I still don't understand why I get picked on because I'm not attracted to girls. I don't live in fear, but I don't expose myself either. And I don't understand why we should tolerate gays. It's not like we're dangerous, X-File criminals. It's just love, we're not doing anything wrong."

One hand rests on Lucas' shoulder and he steps back into Eliott's arm. His back lines up perfectly against the torso of Eliott, who crosses his arms over Lucas's torso.

''Is everything all right here?'' Eliott asks, frowning.

"Your boyfriend kicks my idiot brothers' asses, and I love it!" Pierre laughs. "He's awesome."

Paul points at Patrice.

"He started it."

A long whistle comes from the woman who walks into the living room and looks up before she comes over to hug Lucas.

''Lucas, I apologize in advance for whatever bullshit my husband's gonna say. He never thinks before he speaks. But fortunately, otherwise he never would have proposed to me. I'm Marianne, Patrice's wife and Anton's mother."

Lucas stoops down to look at the little blond boy coming up behind her. 

He smiles at him and then signs "Hello, how are you?"

The little boy looks at him in amazement and asks if Eliott taught him how to sign just to meet him. Lucas explains that he learned two years ago because a friend of his went deaf.

Marianne seems really impressed and Lucas can't help smiling. He thinks back to the first meeting between Eliott and Arthur. It was huge to see Eliott sign even better than the gang. And it was so cute when Eliott told that his aunt and uncle had adopted a little deaf boy 6 years ago and that the whole family had learned sign language before he arrived in France.

"Hallo, cousin!"

Lucas stands up and turns to the boy standing at the other end of the living room. Almost a carbon copy of Valentin, except that Valentin has half-long hair and the one Eliott points to has short hair.

''Lucas, this is Victor. He's the bad twin. The German. And he only speaks German for fun because he knows I don't."

Victor shakes hands with Lucas and laughs.

"Also bist du der Liebhaber?" (So you're the lover?)

Lucas shakes his hand with a big smile.

''Schön dich kennenzulernen, mein name ist Lucas.'' (Nice to meet you, my name is Lucas.)

He gets a wider smile when he sees Victor's mouth slightly open and the pride on Eliott's face.

''Do you speak german?'' finally asks Valentin when he joins them.

''Just a little. We went on a road trip to Bavaria with my friends to celebrate graduation and we went to Octoberfest with Eliott and my buddies. I just know how to get by. Like _Noch ein Bier bitte_ (another beer please). But I know one sentence we practiced all weekend at the beer festival."

Lucas looks at Eliott smiling and at the same time they repeat this sentence they have repeated a hundred times.

"Hast du einen braunen Jungen mit lockigem Haar gesehen? (Have you seen a brunette-haired, curly-haired boy?)

Victor and Valentin are watching Eliott with astonishment.

''Yeah, maybe I learned a few words. But one of Lucas's buddies was always getting lost, so we had to learn to ask people if they'd seen him. Next year, we'll put a leash on Basile. We spent half the weekend looking for him everywhere."

Valentin seems enchanted but Victor frowns as he looks at Lucas from head to toe.

''Damn, nice catch, Demaury. How could you seduce a guy like that? He's got the face of an angel, he's already seduced old people and he's way too smart for you. Lucas, what the hell are you doing with my cousin?"

Lucas looks at Eliott and shrugs his shoulders.

''First of all, I don't have an angel face! And thanks, I guess. Did you get a good look at your cousin? We should ask him what he's doing with me."

Victor shakes his head, pats his cousin on the cheek and Eliott pushes him away with a grunt.

''Yeah, he's very handsome, but we all know his character. Not to mention his episodes. Have you ever seen him depressed? Has he ever smelled him after a week without shower?"

Eliott tries to push his cousin back a little harder, but Lucas puts his arm down to stop him and intertwines their fingers.

''Don't worry, when he's not feeling well, I still help him shower after three days. It would be a crime to let his beautiful hair get greasy."

Valentin starts laughing and Victor nods and smiles. Eliott wraps his arms around Lucas' waist and hugs him gently as if to thank him, because it's all true. The first time Eliott had a depressive episode, Lucas forced him to take a shower after three days. Eliott remembers it by flashback and everything is a little foggy, but he sees Lucas again in the shower with him, dressed and totally soaked, helping him wash his hair.

''Lucas, you're an angel!" says Marianne behind them before waving them off to the dining room. 

Everyone takes their place at the table. Lucas sits down next to Eliott and they hold hands under the table. Eliott can't tell if he or Lucas is holding the other one tighter, but what is clear is that they both need it.

''But how do you know how to handle him so well?'' asks Patrice ''It's still not easy to fall in love with a guy and find out he has a mental illness.''

Eliott sends a black look to his uncle but Lucas lets go of his hand and puts it back on Eliott's thigh, which immediately soothes him. 

''First I knew he was bipolar before I knew his first name. And then"

''Wait? What?'' cuts Victor off, ''Like : _Hey, I'm bipolar, my name is Eliott. Let's go out Saturday night?_ "

Lucas laughs as he turns to Victor.

''No, he's like : _I'm bipolar but you can come to my room if you want._ "

Lucas does not miss the shocked look of half of the Demaury family and starts laughing. Just like that, he already knows who knows the story of their meeting or not.

''OMG!'' laughs Valentin "That's the worst pickup line ever!"

''I didn't really say it like that,'' Eliott defends himself. ''It's totally out of context.''

Lucas nods and realizes everyone's waiting for him to explain.

''I swear it's not what you think it is. It was two weeks after school started, I'd just been beaten up by my roommate who had just found out I was gay. Eliott found me in the hallway and he walked me to the principal's office. I asked to change rooms but he refused, claiming that there was no other possibility and that it was almost normal for my roommate to get scared...as if I was going to rape him in his sleep. Anyway, Eliott showed up as a big savior and made me this proposition. And if that wasn't enough, he encouraged me to press charges against my ex roommate and the director for his inaction. Frankly, I just wanted to forget the whole thing, but stubborn as he is, I finally did. The director took the blame and the guy got fired. I could have had my room back, but it was so much more fun sharing it with Eliott. It's like we've always been friends."

"Friends?" is surprised Valentin "I thought you guys met, and BAM, love at first sight, you went out."

Lucas shakes his head and turns to Eliott.

"No," corrects Eliott, "I fell for Lucas the moment I saw him. Even with his open lip and bruises, he was so handsome. But I didn't want him to think that I had offered to share my room so he'd end up in my bed, so I repressed my feelings. And living with him, sharing evenings and weekends and pretending I was just another friend to him, it was just torture."

''I thought you guys had been dating for six months?'' Cut his mother off. ''So it only lasted a month, right? It sounds like you're talking about it like it's been going on for months. Oh, Eliott, you're so dramatic!"

Eliott blinks and looks at Lucas. His cheeks are slightly red, and Eliott wonders if he's saying too much.

"So what?" Patrice asks, "Who broke the ice?"

"I" begins Eliott.

"One night, I had insomnia." Lucas cut him "I'm used to it, it happens to me often. Eliott realized it, he got up and we cooked at 3am. Normally we're not allowed to cook in our rooms. We just have a microwave, so we made a chocolate mousse. Eliott ruined it by putting chives and stuff in it. And he kept telling me for half an hour that it wasn't him... I think that's when I realized I was in love with him. So when he was done eating that nasty mix, he had a chocolate moustache and I couldn't resist, so I kissed him."

''You guys are just so cute!'' says Paul ''You always hear that gay guys are just looking for sex, but when we look at you two and hear about your story, it's just a beautiful love story. My wife would have loved your story, she was always reading books with stories like that."

Eliott is totally disconnecting from the conversation. He can't think of anything else to do but think about Lucas' first insomnia. He sees Lucas' face again when he realized that Eliott had added secret ingredients to his chocolate mousse. And fuck, Eliott prefers the end of Lucas' version to the reality. 

He's looking at Lucas out of the corner of his eye. Did Lucas really hesitate that night? Or is he just playing his part perfectly?


	4. Be beside me

''I had a great time tonight'' says Lucas as they walk through their bedroom door ''Anton is amazing. He's really super smart for his age. And he's super good at video games, he could beat Basile or Yann without any problem. I sent the picture of us with your cousins, Basile told me we were too cute. Just listening to your cousins tell all his anecdotes about you, it was definitely worth coming. I can just imagine the three of you, and then the four of you on vacation... It's really cool to have cousins your own age, you're really lucky. Victor's really funny when he imitates your dad and your uncles."

Eliott chuckles as he pulls his stuff out of his bag. He spent the evening watching Lucas interact with his cousins, and Lucas is just amazing. He has a knack for making everyone feel comfortable, even Victor has stopped being defensive. It's like Lucas has always been a part of the family. 

''Thank you, Lucas. For putting up with all this, and for everything you said about us. You were really very convincing."

Lucas turns to retrieve his things from his bag and nods.

''You too. I warned you, there's no way we're gonna get discovered... ...it'll be too embarrassing, so we're gonna play it cool. I'm gonna be the best boyfriend you ever had, Eliott."

Lucas walks into the bathroom, leaving Eliott sitting in bed sighing. Eliott looks at his stuff and then goes to knock gently on the bathroom door.

"Lucas?"

"Hmm?"

Just by the sound of it, he knows Lucas must be brushing his teeth.

''I don't have any pajamas. In fact, I never wear pajamas. So... er... do you mind? I can to find some jogging pants if you'd rather and''

He hears Lucas grumbling and then the sound of water. As soon as the noise stops, Lucas opens the door and Eliott looks surprised.

''I've lived with you for seven months, Eliott, I know you sleep in boxer. Why do you"

Lucas stops and Eliott smiles because Lucas's gaze falls on Eliott's bed. Lucas raises his eyes to the sky coming out of the bathroom.

''Don't worry, Eliott, I've seen you box a million times and I'm not going to use my fake boyfriend privilege to abuse you while you're sleeping. I may be gay, but contrary to what your uncle seems to think, I swear I can hold it in."

''Oh, Lucas, that's not what I meant at all.''

Lucas rolls his eyes and takes off his shirt. Eliott giggles because he knows Lucas sleeps in his favorite shirt all the time, Lucas never sleeps in his boxers. But apparently tonight he will.

''Here we go, we'll be even. Stop tormenting yourself, Eliott, it's just me!"

Eliott watches Lucas lay in bed in his boxers, and it's the worst thing that could happen. With his silly worries, he just made it worse. He walks into the bathroom, brushes his teeth and undresses, suddenly feeling very foolish for bringing it up.  
  
When he lies in his bed, Eliott is happy to have a very large bed because they can lie next to each other without touching each other. And he tries not to fix his attention on the fact that Lucas is almost naked next to him, so he closes his eyes with a sigh.

''I'm really sorry, Lucas. I didn't mean to"

''I know.'' Lucas said softly as he put his hand on his and took it off. ''Sorry I got a little upset about that. I just don't want things to change between us and suddenly be uncomfortable with each other, okay?"

Eliott sighs before he turns his head to Lucas.

''Okay, sorry. But you know I would never be uncomfortable with you, Ok?"

Lucas' hand gently squeezes his and that makes Eliott smile. And it gives him the confidence to go for it.

"Can I ask you a question?"

He hears Lucas sighing next to him.

''Try.''

''How'd you pack your bag so fast? It looked like it was already packed."

Lucas sighs again, and Eliott knows he's right.

''Okay,'' continues Eliott ''So why did you pack a bag to come when you weren't going to come?''

The mattress moves slightly and Eliott assumes that Lucas just shrugged his shoulders. And he knows he's not going to get anything more.

''Okay, sleep tight, Lucas.''

''You too. Thanks Eliott."

Eliott has to be the first one to fall asleep. But he's don't the first one to wake up and if he was hoping that Lucas might be asleep in his arms when he wakes up, he's not. Lucas isn't even here. Eliott jumps up, puts on pants and a shirt and comes down. And he is greeted on the ground floor by laughter from the kitchen.

He leans against the doorframe to watch Lucas and Valentin laughing at the sound of Lucas' favourite music while preparing muffins.Valentin is startled when he notices Eliott's presence.

''Eliott, I'm learning an incredible amount about you. I can't believe how much you're keeping from us."

Eliott raises an eyebrow at Lucas, who smiles.

"Don't worry," he reassures his cousin, "nothing too personal, nothing sexual. But I didn't know you volunteered to give art classes to kids. It's so cool."

Eliott shrugs his shoulders.

''Yeah. That's really cool, I'm helping out a buddy of mine who works at a community center. It gives the kids something else to think about. I suppose Lucas don't told you he does that too."

Valentin turns to Lucas in amazement.

''Do you give drawing lessons too?''

Lucas bursts out laughing while baking a another muffins round.

''Oh, no. You have no idea how badly I draw. I give music lessons."

''He teaches piano, guitar and drums. Cause this man is a fucking prodigy every time he touches an instrument. You should see him play, he's just amazing."

Lucas looks up at the sky and Eliott laughs. He knows Lucas hates to brag.

''I think you look different.'' Valentin says suddenly as he looks at Eliott ''You look different. It's probably love, I've heard it changes a man."

Eliott opens his mouth, but his cousin nods to shut him up.

''Don't say it isn't true, Eliott. We all think you've changed. What do you think we did yesterday when you went to bed? Everybody stayed downstairs talking about you. And we all agree, you're really glowing. You were never like that when you were with Lucille. And the way you look at Lucas. Damn, I want to find a girl who looks at me that way."

Eliott coughs and grabs a muffin hoping to change the subject. Lucas stops him and shows him a small plate with 6 muffins and Eliott kisses him on the cheek to thank him because he knows that Lucas made them especially for him.

''Oh, but don't worry.'' Valentin continues filling in the muffins cups ''Lucas talks about you like you're a living God. Victor would think he idealizes you too much, but I think he's just totally in love with you."

Lucas chokes on the sip of coffee he's just had and Valentin looks at him in amazement.

''What? I'm only telling the truth. You guys are so in love with each other I'm glad I'm single because I wouldn't want to compete with you. All the couples here tonight will be living in your shadow."

''All right, Val, we get it,'' finally says Eliott.

''You two seem so close, I figured it must be especially special in the bedroom. I'm talking about sex if you don't get it.''

Eliott bursts out laughing when he sees Lucas' cheeks turn all red. He puts his arm around his shoulders to pull him towards him and kiss his hair.

''There's no words for it.'' Eliott laughs ''Nothing could ever make me uncomfortable with him so yeah, I guess it's especially special.''

"Hi guys, what are you talking about?"

The three boys turn to Delphine, who enters the kitchen smiling.

''Sex.''

Eliott chokes on him saliva. He forgot that Valentin is so direct. That's exactly why Lucille didn't like him.

''Okay. I'll take the muffins, and I'll leave you two to talk. You guys have fun. By the way, the bathroom under-sink drawer is still operational. Serve yourself if you want, Valentin."

She grabs the full plate and leaves, leaving the three boys alone in the kitchen again. Lucas is the first to laugh, immediately followed by Valentin and Eliott. 

"Welcome to the Demaury family, buddy."

Lucas stops laughing immediately and gives Eliott a look he can't make out. He's never seen Lucas look at him like that, and really, he has no idea what Lucas is thinking.

Breakfast is just over when the doorbell rings. Eliott recognizes Fabienne's voice before he even sees it. Less than two minutes later, his father arrives in the dining room with Lucille.

''Look who I found on the doorstep. Well, I'll leave you kids to it, I'll help my brothers get the stuff in the car to make sure they don't do anything stupid. We're leaving in 30 minutes."

Marianne gets up to follow Pierre and there's only the new generation around the table. Victor, Valentin and Anton greet Lucille and Eliott stiffens when he feels his gaze settle on him. It seems as if all the hatred in the world is in that simple look. And Eliott crouches down a little on his chair, as if he was trying to make himself smaller.

''I didn't expect to see you, Eliott.''

Lucas puts his hand on his hand, and that calms him down a little bit. 

''Hi, Lucille. I'm here. I wouldn't miss my parents' wedding anniversary."

Lucille raises her eyebrows with a mocking smile on her face.

''It wouldn't be the first time you've thought of yourself without thinking of others. I'm sure you weren't planning on coming just to avoid seeing me, and your mother made you come. I'm surprised you didn't blame an episode for your apology. Glad to see you've finally grown up after all."

The whole table becomes silent and Eliott ducks his head to his plate.

Lucas lets go of his hand and stands up. He walks up to Lucille, looks her in the eyes and reaches out his hand to her with a big smile on his face.

''Hi, I'm Lucas, Eliott's boyfriend. How are you doing? You seem a little tense. It's a day of celebration, we should all be happy to be here for Pierre and Delphine, right?''

Lucille shakes hands with Lucas, frowning slightly and taking a pinched smile.

"Hi, Lucas, I'm the manipulative bitch that Eliott must have told you about.''

Lucas smiled at him without letting go of his hand and without taking her eyes off him.

''Not on his terms, but it's nice to meet you. Eliott's told me a lot of nice things about you. And I was looking forward to meeting you, because it's not the same in pictures. It's a real pleasure. He told me a lot about you and always with a lot of tenderness and remorse."

Lucille steps back, surprise, and Eliott stands up to put an arm around Lucas' waist.

''Baby, maybe we should go get dressed, we have to go help set up the banquet hall this morning.''

Lucas nods, slipping his hand into Eliott's. 

''See you there, Lucille.'' says Lucas, holding up the look in her eye ''I can't wait to talk to you more. I'm sure you and I will get along just fine. Let's not forget we're here to party, not make a big deal out of it."

When Eliott comes up the stairs, he smiles stupidly. Lucas is so great. As soon as the bedroom door closes behind them, Lucas goes to the bathroom. But Eliott follows him immediately.

''You were amazing. OMG you're so awesome.''

Lucas stands in front of the mirror with his hands on the sink and shakes his head.

''I hate this. I don't know what came over me.''

Eliott puts his hands on Lucas's shoulders and swivels him to force him to face him.

''You were amazing. Your approach is so much better than an aggressive one. Thank you so much, you're really perfect.''

Lucas sighs before he turns around and ducks his head like he doesn't want to see his reflection in the mirror.

''I hate this. I feel like such a little prick. I don't like being in the middle of you two. I don't like being in the middle of fights. But the way she looked at you, what she said to you and her smirk... I just wanted to hit her, Eliott. I don't like that at all. I don't like how it makes me feel. I... I..."

He sighs and turns to Eliott and waves him out.

''I'm going to take a shower, we don't want to be late.''

Eliott loses his smile and bends over so he can look at Lucas' tormented face.

"Lucas."

"No, Eliott, it's fine."

Eliott grabs Lucas' chin and forces him to look at it.

''It's not fine, Lucas. I haven't seen you this upset since your dad came to our house. Talk to me, please."

Lucas steps back, shaking his head to force Eliott to let him go and sighs.

''I just don't get it, that's all. I don't understand how you can be so mean to someone you're supposed to have loved. I can't stand her talking about you like that and talking about your illness like you're hiding behind her. You could blame your illness for having extra time to make your school'projects but even when you're sick you don't. I've been watching you fight with yourself for 7 months and it kills me that people can talk to you like this. So okay, you did some shit with her, but she's not even looking to see if you've changed and''

Eliott pulls Lucas into his arms and hugs him as hard as he can. And Lucas doesn't move. He keeps his arms along his body but puts his head against Eliott's chest.

''Thank you for being here, Lucas. And for coming to my rescue. Honestly, I don't know how I would've made it through this without you. And thank you for seeing me like this."

Lucas sighs long and hard and tries to move but Eliott won't let go of his arms.

''All right, Eliott, I'm calmed down. I'm sorry, I didn't think it would be this hard. I can see why you didn't want to come alone."

Eliott just loosens his arms a little bit so he can look Lucas in the eye, and they're both smiling. Eliott looks down at Lucas' lips. It would be so easy to really kiss him, just like that, and tell him that he really loves him from the beginning. Lucas doesn't let go of his gaze and Eliott has the impression that he is growing slowly as he bends over. But he doesn't have the time to be sure that they both startle when a knock comes from behind the door. And Lucas steps back when Eliott's mother's voice is heard.

''Eliott, I know I said you can do whatever you want, and I don't mind you showering together, but hurry up, we're waiting for you.''

Eliott opens the door with a sigh and closes it behind him.

''We were just talking, that's all, Mom.''

His mother looks up at the sky and laughs.

''Of course. And you need to lock yourself in the bathroom for that? Don't play dumb with me, son. Well, that's not the point. You meet us there, okay? Your cousins want to come in your car, so you take care of it. See you guys later."

When Lucas comes out of the bathroom, he can't talk because Valentin, Victor and Anton knock on the bedroom door so Eliott's gonna take a shower real quick. Once prepared, they get into Eliott's car, with the three cousins in the back. Lucas looks more relaxed than before but Eliott can't help but ask if he is all right.

When they arrive at the room, they help to set up the tables and then the decorations. Anton stays glued to Lucas all morning and that makes Eliott smile. Lucas behaves with him like a big brother. By looking at them attentively, Eliott realizes that Anton is talking about his adoption. But he doesn't have the time to look at the signs Lucas is sending him back because Patrice gives him a big pat on the back.

''Come on, guys, I need help getting the audio equipment out. Come help me out."

Victor, Valentin and Eliott follow Patrice to his car to get all the equipment out. And of course, Valentin almost falls out, holding a speaker, which makes Patrice scream.

''Watch out, boys, this isn't faggot stuff.''

Eliott jumps up and laying the speaker in front of him before he looks at his uncle with a frown on his face.

''Oh, uncle Pat, will you stop it with that? Can't you just say it's good stuff? Why do you say stuff like that?"

Patrice shrugs his shoulders and sweeps the air in front of him.

''It's all right, Eliott. I wasn't talking about you. I say stuff like that all the time, don't think it's directed at you. It's just an expression, that's all. ''

''Don't judge a book by its cover, that's an expression'' says Valentin ''Sorry uncle Pat, but what you're saying is just insults from misplaced stereotypes. And the worst part is, you don't even realize it.''

''And it's really demeaning to gays,'' Victor continues ''you imply that a gay man is weak or that he's shit.''

"Please don't teach my cousin stuff like that." said Eliott as he watched Anton sign with Lucas outside the door. Eliott is glad Lucas is far enough away from them to have missed this terrible discussion. And then he notices that Lucille looks Lucas and Anton suspiciously out of the corner of her eye. 

Patrice lets out a big sigh.

''Sorry, guys. Don't be so damn touchy. But I'm sorry, I'll think about it in the future. I swear, I don't give a shit if Eliott is with a guy, I love Lucas, he's really amazing. Fuck, the next generation is really here to kick our asses. You make me feel like a reactive old fart when I thought I was your cool uncle."

The three boys start laughing, and Patrice too.

"When you say you're cool," Victor laughs, "you're not cool."

At 12:30, everything's ready. The adults are ready to go and that's when Victor has the worst idea he could ever have. And frankly, if Eliott didn't know his cousin so well, he'd swear he's only offering this just to annoy him. But, no, Victor is definitely just offering this for fun.

''Look, guys, there's the questions for tonight's lovers' game. It'd be fun to see what kind of score you'll get."

He looks at Lucas and then at Eliott, but they both shake their heads.

"Leave it alone, cousin."

It would have stayed that way if Lucille hadn't opened her mouth, sure of herself. 

''They've only known each other a couple of months, they can't answer that. It's way too intimate questions, you have to know each other pretty well to answer it."

Eliott knew exactly what Lucas was gonna say before he even opened his mouth. The look he's giving Lucille speaks for him. And Anton signing "Go, Lucas, you can do it" doesn't help calm things down at all.

''Okay, let's do it.'' says Lucas ''Give us the questions, I'll answer for Eliott while he writes his answer on the slate. I bet I at least get ¾ right answers.''

He's barely finished his sentence when Victor hands Eliott a slate.

"Lucas, we're not"

Lucas looks at him with a determined look on his face and Eliott knows he won't change his mind. So they sit back to back. 

"First question," says Victor with a big smile, "what's his favorite food?"

Lucas smiles. 

''He likes to say it's pizza sushi. But what he likes best is what we made this morning with Valentin: Bacon and blueberry muffins."

Lucas knows he's got just the right answer when he sees Valentin's big smile.

''I swear,'' confirms Valentin ''I thought Lucas was kidding around until he actually made a special tour of it for Eliott, and Eliott seemed to be really enjoying it."

Eliott giggles as he rolls his eyes.

''I swear it was really delicious. Thanks again, baby."

"Okay," Victor continues, "The place he'd rather go."

''His secret place."

Anton nods his head, smiling and raising his thumb, then asks Lucas if he has ever been there. Lucas smiles as he looks at Eliott and signs "yes".

"What he'd rather do?''

"Draw.''

"Who does he confide in the most.''

Lucas hesitates with a pout and then says softly: "Me?''

"You're too cute" exclaims Valentin. And just like that, Lucas knows he's right.

"What is the worst shit he ever did.''

Lucas hesitates again, then shrugs his shoulders.

''There's too many of them. And I'm too scared to say something that you don't know about. But not showing up for the BAC to get Lucille to plaque him is the worst thing he could have done, I think.''

The boys burst out laughing and Eliott shows him his slate where he has written "too much to say". "Skipping the BAC.''

Eliott looks at Lucille with a sorry smile. She has a look on her face that he's never seen before, but she blinks and picks up the smile he hates before she opens her mouth and Eliott takes Lucas' hand in his before she speaks.

''Glad to see you realize what a crock of shit that was.''

''Come on, two questions.'' Valentin says as if he hadn't heard anything. ''What's his worst flaw?''

"He's as stubborn as a mule.''

Eliott laughs and hits Lucas on the head with the slate. 

"Hey, that's right.''

"But that's not a flaw," Eliott says. "It's called determination.''

Lucas chuckles and turns to face Eliott.

"And Mr. Determination, what did you write then?''

"That I'm messy.''

Lucas shrugs his shoulders and sighs.

"I'm more messy than you.''

''Yeah, that's really your worst flaw too.'' Eliott laughs before going back to back "It would have come in handy if one of us liked to tidy up and clean up. But we still manage.""

''Okay, last question. What does he like most about you?''

Lucas shrugs his shoulders.

''What are we talking about? If it's a physical thing, I'd say my eyes maybe. Everybody likes my eyes. Although, Eliott loves to make fun of my short stature, so maybe he love it. But if we're talking about character, I don't know. I know he likes me to take care of the people around me. I don't know, that's too vague a question, I'm sure it's not even on the list.''

The look in Victor's eyes says it all and Eliott wonders if the other questions were really on the list.

"So," asks Lucille, "what did you write, Eliott?''

All of a sudden, Eliott wants to erase what he's written, but Victor grabs the slate.

"Everything.''

Valentin and Victor breathe an exasperated sigh as Lucille looks at them both with a very hurt look on her face.

"Oh, boy, oh, boy," Valentin groans, "you're so cheesy.''


	5. Catch me

After that, the five of them get in the car to drive back to Eliott's parents' house while Lucille goes back to her mother's house. After lunch, Anton picks up Lucas and takes him to his room to show him a video game while Eliott is doing the dishes. Lucas has barely come out when Valentin intercepts him. Eliott tries to join them but Valentin slams the door of his room, pretexting only the advice of his best new cousin on his outfit for tonight. 

So Eliott goes to dress for the evening but he suddenly feels really bad for Lucas. He thought that Lucas would not be as comfortable in the middle of his family, because he has never known a big family like that and he didn't think his family would adopt him so quickly. This whole fucking situation is just getting out of control. Eliott knows Lucas well enough to know that he must feel really bad about lying to them openly.

As soon as Lucas comes out of Valentin's room, Eliott can see right away that something is wrong. But they don't have time to talk as Pierre says it's time to leave for the party so Lucas will quickly change and they all leave together.

Very quickly, Eliott gets swept away in the stream of guests. He hasn't seen most of his parents' friends in years, but between two hugs, he sees Lucille talking with Lucas. If Lucille looks defensive, Lucas has a big smile on his face. Eliott looks at him closely enough to see the exact moment he loses his smile. He sees Lucas stiffening up and even trying to grow. Lucas is obviously upset but Eliott is too far away to hear what he says. He apologizes to his parents' friends and goes around the room as fast as he can. And he freezes in place when he hears what Lucas says.

''Maybe you should have stopped always talking about his bipolarity. I'm dating Eliott, not a bipolar guy. There's so much more to Eliott than that. You completely ruined his confidence. You made him believe that no one would ever be able to love him and support a life at his side. You were both young, and you both screwed up, but in my opinion, you should move on and not look back on your mistakes. You're not even trying to see that he's changed. Let him live his life and live your life."

Eliott's on his way to meet Lucas, but his grandmother intercepts him. He tries to focus on her, but he can't help but listen to Lucille.

''I just want to warn you, Lucas, you're playing with fire. You're just one guy among many. I hate to tell you this, but there's been plenty of them before you. Eliott is not capable of loving a guy. Guys are just passing fads to him, like his music or his drawings. You'd better leave before you get your heart broken."

''His music and his drawings, It's part of him, Lucille. It's nothing to do with a mania."

Eliott leaves his grandmother without a preamble and almost jumps in front of Lucas. 

''That's enough, Lucille, you have no right to talk to him like that.''

Lucille looks at him with raised eyebrows.

''He's got a right to know, Eliott. He's got to know that you're never gonna get serious."

''Well, you'll be surprised to hear that we're engaged.'' says Eliott. 

A scream rings out behind him and Eliott looks at his mother who looks at them gawking. He looks at Lucas who is trying to get rid of the same surprised face as his mother. Eliott clears his throat looking at his mother.

''We wanted to tell you this weekend, we're engaged. I know it's a little fast, but I know he's the one and I can't imagine my life without him. We're really serious."

Eliott puts his arm around Lucas' shoulders and they're quickly drowning in congratulations. They don't have time to exchange looks as Eliott is pulled into his father's arms.

''I'm so proud of you, Eliott. When I met your mother, I knew right away she was the one. Everybody thought we were too young to get married, but look at us today."

''It's actually a little fast, Eliott.'' said his mother softly as she hugged him. ''But we're really happy for you. You seem really different when you're with Lucas. And then just looking at the two of you, we can see how much you really care about each other.''

She turns to Lucas and gives him a hug.

''Welcome to the Lucas family. We're all thrilled."

Eliott smiles as he looks at Lucas, but Lucas always has this look in his eyes that he can't read.

''When it's the right one, you know it right away.'' His father continues, putting his hand on Lucas' shoulder.

Lucas takes Eliott by the hand, apologizes to Eliott's parents and they go out into the deserted street. It's still light outside, but it's pretty fresh. Lucas lets go of Eliott's hand as if it was burning him and continues walking straight ahead. He turns at the first intersection and stops so abruptly that Eliott almost hits him.

''But why did you say that, Eliott? I can't do it. I'm sorry. But I just can't do it. How can you do that? How can you lie to them like that? Do you realize how much damage you're going to do to them?"

Eliott pulls on Lucas' arm to force him to face him.

''I'm sorry, I panicked. I couldn't stand to hear what she was saying to you. It was all a lie, Lucas, I really care about you. More than anyone else. I freaked out, I wanted to show him that I've changed. And"

''You knew what you were doing.'' Lucas gets angry by pushing him up against the wall of a house. ''By bringing me here as your fake boyfriend, you knew what you were doing. You knew they were gonna be sweet and open but not me. I didn't know what it was like to have a family. People who love you, who care about you, who open their homes and their hearts to you and who consider you a member of their clan, and I can't stand lying to them. I can't stand lying to them anymore. And I can't stand lying to you either. I can't stand hearing you make declarations of love that mean nothing. I can't stand kissing you when I know in two days I'm gonna have to stop. It's too hard for me, I don't want to pretend I'm not in love with you."

Lucas turns around and starts running. Luckily, Eliott runs faster than him and he catches him. He grabs Lucas' arm, swings it towards him and kisses him. But instead of kissing him back, Lucas pushes him away. Eliott puts him gently against the wall, puts his hands on Lucas's cheeks and looks him in the eyes by placing his forehead against his own.

''I don't want to pretend anymore either, Lucas. Actually, I've never been faking. Everything I said, I meant it. I fell in love with you the first time i saw you. Bam, love at first sight, just like valentin said. I love you so fucking much. Living next to you trying to be just a friend is torture but it's better than not having you in my life. And now that I know what it feels like to kiss you, I couldn't pretend to be just your friend either. I really love you, Lucas."

Lucas raises an eyebrow when he looks into Eliott's eyes.

''So that's it, huh? You're really playing us like in your movies? We pretended so well that we fell in love?"

Eliott shakes his head and smiles.

''No. I've been in love with you for seven fucking months, but I was afraid I was gonna ruin everything and that you wouldn't feel anything for me.''

Lucas puts his hands on Eliott's neck and smiles.

"I really should have done it then."

"What?"

''Kissing you, the chocolate mousse night. I wanted it so bad, but I was scared."

Eliott smiles even more.

''Do it now and never stop again.''

And this time, it's a real passionate kiss. The kind you give when you realize the one you secretly love loves you too. And they could've been up all night doing this if the outside temperature didn't drop so low. 

As soon as they enter the room, hand in hand, with big smiles on their faces, they are intercepted by Anton. 

''The buffet is open! We've been looking all over for you guys!"

After having eaten and laughed with the cousins, and enjoyed cakes, all the boys join the dance floor. And it feels so good to dance with Lucas and be totally free of all the lies. As soon as the music slows down, Lucas huddles up with Eliott, and he loves it.

''What about this engagement thing?'' Eliott whispers in his ear.

Lucas shrugs his shoulders as he gets closer to Eliott.

''We'll see. Maybe we'll end up getting married and no one will ever know."

Eliot laughs before he kisses Lucas' neck.

''Maybe we'll tell them one day, after all. It'll make a great anecdote to tell our kids."

Lucas laughs before he kisses Eliott. A long kiss that quickly becomes inappropriate for the place they're in, surrounded by several dancing couples.

''How much longer do you think we should stay here?''

Eliott shrugs his shoulders and looks around them.

''I don't know. Why? Are you tired?"

Lucas looks at him and smiles.

''No, but I just want to go your parent's home and enjoy the rest of the evening. I've been watching you in yours boxers every night for months and I'm not allowed to enjoy it, but tonight I really want to enjoy it. And something against my hip tells me that you do, too."

Eliott chuckles.

"That's my phone, Lucas."

Lucas backs away and his cheeks turn red immediately, but Eliott laughs and Lucas punches him in the chest when he realizes it definitely wasn't Eliott's phone.

''Fucking Eliott, are you kidding me? You're ruining the moment !"

Eliott giggles again and kisses him, apologizing, but with a laughing look on his face that shows he's not sorry at all. They're going to tell his parents they're coming home and are about to cross the dance floor again to get out when Lucille's hand lands on Eliott's forearm.

''Can I borrow him, please? I'd like to apologize. I'm really sorry about earlier."

Lucas lets go of Eliott's hand and nods, but Lucille laughs.

''Oh, no, I was talking to Eliott. I owe you an apology, Lucas."

She steps back to the corner of the room and Lucas follows her under Eliott's watchful eye.

''I just wanted to apologize, Lucas. You're absolutely right. Eliott really hurt me, and I think I was trying to hurt him by going through you. It was really lame, and I apologize for that. I've been a total bitch. He's never been with me the way he is with you and I think that hurt me. But I never should have said any of that to you. None of it was true and it shows that he really cares about you. I'm really sorry and I hope we can put it behind us."

Lucas thanks her and Lucille waves to Eliott to come back.

''I still hate you so much, Eliott. You hurt me so bad, but it's my fault, too. We were young, we should've stopped all this before we got hurt so badly. You seem to have changed, and I'm happy for you. Besides, you never looked at me the way you look at Lucas. I'd try to be happy for you, especially 'cause our moms deserve to try and put up with each other once in a while."

Eliott smiles at Lucille as he puts his arm around Lucas.

''Thank you, Lucille. I'm so sorry for everything we've been through and what I did to you. I hope you can find some peace. Thank you for everything that you just said. You're right, we should at least be able to put up with each other for our moms."

Lucas takes a big smile and hugs Eliott again as soon as Lucille says hello and walks away.

"So, you looking at me?"

Eliott chuckles and bends over to whisper in his ear.

''You're the only one I've seen for months, Lucas. Ever since you came into my life, nothing else has mattered but you. How could you not notice?"

Lucas chuckles and shrugs.

''You might have to show it a little harder, then.''

Eliott looks around and nods.

''Okay, let's go and I'll show you this right now.''

Eliott's about to walk through the crowd to get out, but Lucas is holding him back. Eliott turns around and grabs Lucas back to whisper in his ear.

''We'll go at your pace, babe. I just want to be alone with you, but we don't even have to do anything, don't worry about it."

Lucas looks up at the sky and look him with a exasperated look.

''Okay. So first of all, you're not supposed to know I'm that inexperienced... so shut up ! Forget this fucking conversation we should never have had. Just because I've never done anything doesn't mean I don't want to. And fuck, I really want you. But first, I want to get a picture for Basile."

Lucas pulls his phone out of his pocket and Eliott laughs. 

''I'm sorry. Ok.''

The picture's perfect. Eliott's holding Lucas and they're smiling cheek to cheek. Around them are all the guests dancing. 

''Okay, now I'm ready.''


	6. Love me

When Eliott wakes up, it's better than anything he could have dreamed of. Lucas is asleep against him. Practically even on him, actually. Lucas's head is on his chest and one of his legs crushes Eliott's. And Eliott has never been fine.

Eliott moves his hand up along Lucas' back, following his spine, up to his hair. He buries his hand in Lucas' hair and bends over to gently kiss his forehead. 

Lucas sighs and Eliott hears his breathing change. He freezes and tries not to move but it's too late because Lucas opens his eyes slowly.

''If last night was a dream, let me go back to sleep.''

Eliott chuckles and bends over to kiss Lucas' forehead again.

''If last night was a dream, I hope I never wake up, lucas.''

Lucas fidgets so he can get back up and give Eliott a tender kiss. Eliott's hands immediately drop to Lucas' lower back as Lucas' hands move across his chest. Lucas straddles Eliott while kissing him on the neck. 

''I just love waking up with you so much. It's almost as good as falling asleep with you."

He comes down slowly to kiss Eliott's chest and smiles as he kisses his tattoo. Since he's been seeing it for so long without being able to touch it, it's been so great to be able to put his lips on it.

''Damn, Lucas, you're so hot.''

Lucas lies down on Eliott to kiss him and moves his hips against him.

''Yeah, I can see that, and don't tell me that's his phone.''

Eliott giggles and tries to turn them around, but he flips them over too hard and they both fall to the bedroom floor. 

They burst out laughing, totally tangled up in the sheets as the door slowly opens.

"Oh, hey, get out," Eliott complains.

The door closes and chuckles can be heard behind it.

''Sorry, guys, but it's 2:00pm. We'll be expecting you for brunch," Valentin says jokingly.

''Do we dream where you fell out of bed?'' laughs Victor.

Eliott grumbles an answer that isn't one and sighs as he lies down on the floor while Lucas tries to get up with one of the sheets around his waist. But Eliott straightens up and pulls the sheet with a sharp blow and Lucas falls back down sitting on Eliott's lap. Eliott's mouth lands in Lucas' neck while his hand tries to untangle the sheets in order to enjoy Lucas' naked body.

''That's enough, boys, come eat. You'll have plenty of time for that when you get home."

Eliott sighs as he answers.

''Yes, Mom. We're almost dressed. We'll be right there."

Delphine sighs and the doorknob goes down.

''No, Mom!'' Shouts Eliott ''Don't come in, we're not dressed yet. I promise we'll get dressed."

Lucas gets up and laughs.

"Your mother is unbelievable!"

"Thank you" shouted Delphine at the end of the corridor. 

Twenty minutes later, the two boys come down the stairs smiling.

"Finally!" exclaims Patrice "We thought you didn't want to see us anymore. I've been thinking a lot about all our discussions, guys, and I swear I'm going to try to think before I speak. I didn't want to hurt anyone, and I don't want you to walk away from the family because of me. I really hope that's not why we didn't see you this morning."

Eliott chuckles and settles down around the table.

''Thank you, Uncle Pat, I really appreciate it. But don't worry, we just stayed up late."

"We heard," Victor says, and winks at them. 

Lucas's cheeks turn all red as Eliott puts his hand on his thigh.

''Oh, it's okay, Vic. Don't give us your crappy insinuations."

Victor leans over and laughs a little more.

''When you take a shower at 3:00 and then 5:00 in the morning, it resonates a little bit around the house. The joy of old houses, I suppose...I see you don't just cook when you can't sleep."

Lucas puts his forehead on Eliott's shoulder, moaning. Eliott laughs and kisses Lucas' forehead. 

''Don't listen my son,'' says Paul, putting his hand on Lucas' shoulder ''he's just jealous. Congratulations on your engagement, guys."

Lucas stands up and Paul takes him in his arms.

''Thank you, Paul.''

Paul looks at him and laughs.

''If a weekend with the Demaury family didn't make you run away, we have you to thank for it.''

Lucas nods with a laugh and sits down next to Eliott while Paul goes to the kitchen to get the food. 

''No Demaury will ever make me run away,'' Lucas whispers in Eliott's ear. 

They have lunch planning a cousin weekend during the summer holidays and Eliott sees that Lucas is happy. Because now that everything is clear between them, he can really plan ahead and knows that he will actually be there for this weekend. No more fake boyfriends, no more lies, no more pretending...

"This is going to be so great," exclaimed Victor "the five cousins in Paris! I'm counting on you to plan a hell of a schedule for us."

Eliott nods his head laughing and everyone sees that he's already thinking about what he's going to do with his cousins and Lucas this weekend.

''And in October, we're having at the Octoberfest together!'' says Valentin ''I've always wanted to go!''

''I want to be in it too'' signs Anton.

The whole table starts laughing and the boy loses his smile and starts pouting. Lucas gets up, puts his hand on his shoulder so that he raises his head and starts signing.

''The year you turn 18, I promise if you still want it, I'll take you there.''

Anton finds his smile and jumps into Lucas' arms. And Eliott rushes in to take a picture, they're both so cute for being like brothers. 

''Okay, baby, we got to pack our bags. We got to leave in an hour and a half if we don't want to be too late. And we have class at 8:00 tomorrow."

Lucas sighs and Eliott gives him a sorry look. They go back up to their room hand in hand. As Lucas walks through the door, Eliott slams his ass gently. Lucas turns around with a look of defiance.

''Our deal still stands, Eliott. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, spanking for spanking."

Eliott takes a big smile.

"I know."

Lucas bursts out laughing as he grabs his bag off the floor. Within ten minutes, they have packed all their stuff and are going to put both bags right in the car. Eliott opens his trunk and puts his bag in and then bends over to grab Lucas's bag on the floor. Lucas takes the opportunity to slap him on the buttocks and laughs. Eliott turns around and grabs both of his wrists before tackling him against his car.

''It's a dangerous game, Lucas.''

Lucas rolls his eyes before looking at him and smiling.

''No worse than coming in here pretending to be your boyfriend, Eliott.''

''What?!''

Both boys jump out at the same time and Eliott turns to face his father who was apparently taking something from his car parked next door. But how could they not see him? 

Pierre approaches the boys with raised eyebrows.

''Eliott? Did I get that right? Did you bring a fake boyfriend to our anniversary so you wouldn't have to come alone?"

Eliott shamefully nods his head, causing his father to moan.

''But we're really together now, Dad. I really love Lucas, and he loves me. We were just too stupid to see it. The whole fake boyfriend thing is long behind us."

Pierre shakes his head and pinches his nose bridge.

''You just got here two days ago, Eliott! Oh, my God, son, you've done everything to us. You should not be allowed to watch movies, it gives you far too many ideas to torment us."

He approaches Lucas and puts his hand on his forearm.

''You must really love him very much for agreeing to follow him in his crazy stories.''

Lucas, whose cheeks are so red they'll never return to their original color, looks at Eliott and smiles as he looks at Pierre.

''Yeah, I really love him. And so does your family. I'm really sorry that we lied. I swear we were leaving with good intentions."

Pierre shrugs his shoulders.

''So the lie became reality. Good, because you two are a really good match. So finally we're going to say that it was only half a lie... But what about your engagement?"

Eliott opens his mouth but Lucas cuts him off.

''We thought it would make a great story to tell our children.''

Pierre bursts out laughing as he hugs the two boys.

''Oh, yeah! Like a movie. Okay, then I won't say anything, but I'm warning you, I want to be there if you ever tell your mother! It'll be our little father/son secret for the three of us."

He squeezes them a little tighter and then releases them and shakes his head and goes home.

"Your dad's just amazing.''

Eliott looks at Lucas and then kisses him.

"He's the best.''

Eliott goes around the car and picks up Lucas' bag and puts it in the trunk.

"You wanted to know why my bag was ready?''

Eliott nods with a smile as he closes the trunk of his car.

''I was really hesitating. I'm surprised you decided to go alone. I thought you could find anyone to go with you, but you didn't, so I thought maybe you really wanted me to go with you. Thursday night, I decided to come and I packed my bag. But Friday morning, when you got up, you smiled at me and I knew I could never fake it. I knew I'd eventually break down and tell you that I love you and everything would be different between us. And then Basile showed me his cousin's picture and I thought, This is a fucking sign of fate... so I'm on board."

Eliott hugs Lucas a little more and kisses him gently on the cheek and then the ear.

''You'll remind me to thank Basile and his cousin. Without them, we could have spent months more pretending. In the end, we've never done so little pretend as this weekend.''

Lucas looks at him and then nods.

''Clearly, we've never been as sincere with each other as when we were supposed to be pretending.''

Eliott smiles as he gently kisses Lucas' neck.

''And Valentin was so right.''

Lucas steps back with a raised eyebrow.

''About what?"

"Sex with you is definitely amazing!"

Lucas blushes and grows up to whisper in Eliott's ear.

''You haven't seen it all... but I can't wait to stop in a quiet corner on the road and show you a little more. Or maybe I won't even wait for you to stop to show you."

Lucas is heading home to enjoy some family time before he leaves. Eliott joins him running and slips his hand into his own.

''Lucas Lallemant, you're a fucking tease! And I love it! How could you keep this from me?"

Lucas' smile and wink are the answer. And Eliott smiles because he never thought lucas could be so sure of himself. 

Apparently, Eliott's not done being surprised yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is, another story coming to an end...but I imagine maybe another chapter, like an epilogue...so...maybe this isn't quite the end of the story.
> 
> Anyway, thank you very much for all your comments, they always make me smile and want to invent new stories!


	7. Laugh with me

_Epilogue_

He's talking to Victor when he sees her. He knew she'd be there, but seeing her gives him a little shock. 

It's like she hasn't aged. Lucas knows he doesn't look really old either, he makes himself look older, it's not really the same. Lucas thinks he still looks like a teenager. His jaw's barely any bigger. The only thing that changes is his 3-day beard, which he takes care of almost religiously. Without it, he really feels like a baby. 

She smiles when their eyes meet and waves a little hand, to which Lucas answers almost shyly. He doesn't have time to think about whether he should really go and greet her as she walks towards him. And as if he was doing it on purpose, Victor goes out to get a drink at the same time.

''Lucas. I'm so glad you're here. It's been a really long time."

Lucas smiles as she hugs him.

''Yeah. Considering we're celebrating 50 years of marriage, I feel like it's been 10 years, Lucille."

Lucille takes a big smile as she looks at Lucas.

''Ten years. It's gone by so fast. It's just unbelievable. I feel like it was in another life because it's so far away. I really was"

Lucas is waving him off. He doesn't want to talk about this again.

''Don't worry, Lucille. That was in another life. How are you doing?"

Lucille pulls a chair over to her and sits down and sighs.

''I'm okay. I can't wait to see the end. This little guy keeps fidgeting. Only two months left, and we'll finally get to see his little face. I can't wait to see him."

She strokes his already round belly and Lucas wonders how she can go another two months without exploding. He smiles, with a big smile, but doesn't say it.

"Isn't your husband here?"

Lucille turns around and shows a redheaded guy leaning against the beer machine laughing with Valentin.

''It's Malone. And if you're wondering, yes, he is Irish."

Lucas laughs, and Lucille laughs with him. 

''And your husband, Lucas?''

Lucas shrugs his shoulders and looks around. 

"I have no idea."

He looks around again, and that's when he sees him. With his blonde hair that he wanted Lucas to spike with gel, he looks like a little bleached hedgehog. Lucas waves his hand in a big gesture to get his attention. Lucas doesn't miss his blues eyes that marvel when he sees that Lucas beckons him to come and it always gives him this incredible feeling. He joins him right away and sneaks up behind Lucas as if he's hiding.

''Lucille, let me introduce you to our son, Alban.''

Lucas signs to Alban that Lucille was a friend of Daddy's that he hasn't seen in a long time and Alban steps forward to shake Lucille's hand with a smile. 

Lucille looks at him smiling and Alban smiles back. This is the kind of situation he could never have imagined when he first met Lucille.

''He looks so tall !''

Lucas nods his head and smiles. Clearly, he'll probably be taller than him when he's older. Maybe even taller than Eliott. And frankly, it would make Lucas laugh if that happened. When they adopted him 2 years ago, he was already much taller than kids his age.

''He's 6 years old. '' said Eliott as he magically arrived, ''Hi, Lucille, how are you? Oh, my God, you're huge! you look like you're about to explode.''

Lucille laughed and so did Eliott as he hugged her. 

"I'm so happy to see the three of you."

Eliott smiles as he puts his arm around Lucas' waist while Alban slides his hand into his free hand. Lucille turns her head when her husband puts his hand on her shoulder and she puts her hand on it.

''Malone, this is Eliott and Lucas, and their son Alban. Boys, this is my husband."

Eliott lets go of Alban's hand and shakes hands with Malone's hand.

''Nice to meet you, Eliott, I've heard good things about you.''

Eliott laughs and shakes his head.

''Then it must all be wrong.''

Lucas elbows him in the ribs as he says hello to Malone.

"Excuse my husband, he's impossible sometimes."

Malone keeps Lucas' hand in his and smiles.

''Yeah, I heard that, too. Lucille's too, sometimes. But when you love somebody, you take them for what they are, right?"

Lucas nods, and they're interrupted by Pierre giving a thank-you speech to all the guests and declaring once again how much he loves his wife. And who warns that the first game is set at the table. 

They all sit around the tables and talk. The Demaury's table is starting to be full now. Valentin immediately comes and sits down next to Lucas while Eliott sits on his other side, Alban on his lap.

''So Valentin'' asks Patrice at the end of the table ''When are you bringing someone into the family? There's one chair free."

Lucas looks at Willem. He's sitting next to Victor with one arm around his shoulder and they're both smiling, as if they were in a bubble. 

Valentin looks at them, moans and grins.

''Pfff. The honeymoon should be over by now, right? How long is it after the wedding?"

Victor shows his middle finger to his brother and Willem wraps his hand around it to stop him while laughing. Lucas looks at Julia talking to Marianne while holding Alban's hand. It's been almost a year since the family first met him, and it's as if she's always been part of the family. 

Valentin grabs the game sheet in the middle of the table and smiles.

''Okay. Let's play. I think this table-by-table idea is really nice. Okay, you have to point to the person who best fits the description described."

Lucas is frowning.

''Like? I need an example here."

Valentin giggles.

''Like, who's the handsomest? And of course, then everyone's pointing at me."

Lucas looks up at the sky and laughs.

"First, Lucas is better looking than you," comes Eliott "and Victor looks exactly like you. So why would anyone choose you?"

Valentin smiles.

"Because I'm the good twin." The whole table laughs, even Victor. "Okay. Who's had the most years of schooling."

Not surprisingly, everyone points to Willem, since he's a doctor.

"Who's been in a relationship the longest?"

Still without surprise, everyone shows Pierre and Delphine.

''That's the problem with doing this as a family,'' says Eliott. ''There are no surprises, actually. We all know each other too well."

Lucas looks at the other tables laughing and showing several different people. It's true that at their table, no need to break the ice, there was never any ice to break.

Valentin goes through the list of questions with his eyes and then puts his finger on it.

''Oh! There's a good one. Who at this table is the bravest?"

Lucas hesitates, but he doesn't have time to choose if all the fingers at the table are pointing at him.

''What? Why?"

''Because you're putting up with me,'' says Eliott, laughing.

Lucas looks up to the sky.

"That's not courage, that's love."

"OK," admits Victor, lowering his hand, "I was showing you for the same thing."

"So anyone who thinks I'm brave for it can put their fingers down, there's no courage in that, just love."

Everybody puts their hand down and laughs except Valentin. Lucas looks at him and Valentin looks up.

''I always thought it took a lot of courage for you to kiss your roommate at 17, not knowing if he was into guys, not knowing if he loved you. I think about it every time I eat chocolate mousse and I think you're just"

''I didn't do it.'' Lucas' cut ''I never did that.''

The whole table turns to him gawking, except for Pierre who smiles and Delphine who seems imperturbable. 

"What?" moans Valentin.

Lucas looks at Eliott who shakes his hand a little harder.

''It's a long story. It's even funny if you think about it... Actually, I..."

''I've got it, baby'' Eliott cut him ''We weren't dating when Lucas first came here. I asked him to be my fake boyfriend for the weekend and he did."

Patrice and Paul burst out laughing, followed immediately by Victor and Willem. Anton shakes his head and looks up to the sky with Marianne, and Julia looks at them with a sorry smile, while Delphine smiles at them.

''No! You're kidding! '' asks Valentin incredulous '' Why did you lie? Damn, we didn't see anything! You both looked so good. Nothing was true then? Tell me he's kidding, Lucas."

Eliott looked down in shame and Lucas felt like he was seeing him again when his dad found out. 

''I'm sorry, but it's true.'' Lucas says softly, ''I never dared do it that night. So we were just roommates. I came in here pretending to be her fake boyfriend. But it only lasted 24 hours,actually,'cause we were really in love with each other and it just made us realize it. We even yelled at each other down the street, just over there, to tell each other we really loved each other."

Valentin looks at them and laughs. 

''Oh, my God, this is such a better story! You two are two idiots!"

Eliott looks at his mother, who's always smiling and doesn't say anything.

"Mom? You don't say anything?''

Delphine raises her eyes to the sky and smiles.

''I already knew that, baby. I knew it the first night. I wanted to come see if you had everything you needed in your room, and I heard Lucas talking. So I figured it out. But I saw the way you were holding hands under the table. If you were faking it, you wouldn't have done it, no one could see it. I knew it was only a matter of time.''

''And you didn't tell me?'' Surprised Pierre.

Delphine looks at him frowning.

''I don't know how long you've known, but you knew too, honey. Your lack of reaction shows it for you. So shut up a little."

Pierre looks at Eliott and then Lucas and winks at them.

''He's got secrets between a father and his sons who only look at them.''

Eliott chuckles and leans over to Lucas to kiss him. Alban puts down his cutlery and looks at his grandfather, smiling before he signs.

''I've got a secret with my dads, too.''

Sometimes Lucas forgets that Alban can read lips really well now. He looks at Eliott smiling and they nod to Alban looking at them to see if he can tell. He looks proud and waits for everyone to look at him to sign. 

''In June we're going to pick up my sister from the orphanage where I was little. But she might hear a little bit.''

This time, the whole table is stunned. Even Delphine. And the next moment, there's an outpouring of cries and joy. They make so much noise that all the tables turn towards them and Peter announces the good news to all, his grandson in his arms. And a thunderous applause fills the room.

Once calm has returned to their table and the meal is over, Lucas and Eliott both dance, as they did 10 years ago, but this time they look at Alban from time to time, who is asleep on his grandmother's lap.

''We finally did it in the end'' says Eliott softly, ''and I can't believe my mother knew it.''

Lucas looks at Eliott with a funny look on his face.

''I don't even see why you're surprised. It was so obvious that your mother knew that. I'm surprised we managed to surprise her tonight! She usually knows everything before we tell her.''

Eliott nods and kisses Lucas as he slips his hands behind his back. Lucas squeezes himself against him then gently pulls on Eliott's neck to force him to bend over and whisper in his ear.

''I'm really disappointed.''

Eliott looks surprised and slightly tilts his head back so he can look at Lucas with a frown. But all he can see is Lucas smiling, ready to say something just to tease Eliott.

''Why?''

Lucas tightens up on Eliott and tiptoes up to whisper. 

''Technology is moving too fast. The more time goes by, the smaller the phones get. Soon they won't even be able to vibrate me."

Eliott laughs and half the room turns to them, but he doesn't care. 

''That's not what you were saying last night. Damn it, Lucas Demaury, I'm sure you've been planning this joke for 10 years!"

Lucas looks Eliott in the eye with a big smile on his face.

''Maybe."

Eliott laughs out loud again before he kisses Lucas.

He can't even say why, but just for that alone, he's still... but truly, unquestionably in love with Lucas. 

**Author's Note:**

> A story always has two authors: the one who writes it and the one who reads it. Don't hesitate to leave me a comment, I love to know what you think of the story.


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